Under A Killing Moon
by ImmaStartARiot
Summary: The blood on our black gloves, it is none of your concern, if you want to call our bluff, get in line and wait your turn and watch the witches burn.


I took a bite from my apple and leaned against the wooden pole. "What'd you do this time?"

Sammy pressed her lips together, glaring at the ground. "I fell asleep during a sermon. Reverend Parris did not appreciate it."

I flinched and looked away. "I'm sorry. It's my fault. I made you stay up late last night."

She attempted to shrug and my heart sank even lower. "I hate Salem," she spat viciously.

I sat down onto the dirt ground, leaning against the wooden stocks that Sammy was confined to. It kept her wrists and neck imprisoned in the middle of the town so that everyone that walked past would know that she had sinned. Again.

Sammy isn't quite one to learn from her mistakes, but this time it was my fault she was in there while people walked by, hurling insults and rotten food at her. I brought my hand holding my apple up and offered her a bite which she graciously took. No one comes to feed those who are in the stocks when they're being punished and Sammy had been in there all day. Dawn was quickly approaching and the reverend would be here soon to release Sammy.

"I suppose 1692 is not your year?" I offered pathetically.

"I suppose not," she replied dryly. "You would think that after nineteen years of living, I'd have learned how to not get caught 'sinning'."

I smirked. "Yes, you're the sinner. Meanwhile, I hear Reverend Parris' daughter and niece are—"

"Gossiping, Mr. Acosta?" a voice from behind me sounded and I practically jumped out of my skin. "I don't suppose you would like to join Samantha in the stocks?"

I sprang up from the ground and stammered, "N-no sir. I apologize, sir."

"Don't apologize to me, my son. Apologize to God, for it is him you have offended. I will let this slide, seeing as your father is well respected in our community. I am doing you this lone favor. Do not mess this up and I expect to see you alert in church this week. Try and keep Samantha awake, aye?"

I resisted rolling my eyes at his lecture and simply nodded. He took out his key to unlock the giant padlock that kept the wooden half of the stocks over Sammy's wrists and neck. She stood up slowly and rubbed her aching wrists, all the while glaring at the reverend. "Perhaps if you didn't sound like an overbearing mother hen, I wouldn't fall asleep so often."

An angry glint passed through his eyes and I quickly slapped a hand over Sammy's mouth. "Forgive her, Reverend Parris. She's been on her feet all day with nothing to eat or drink. She's delusional."

With a curt nod, he walked off in the direction of his home and I began to drag Sammy to her grandmother's home. "Have you lost your mind?" I asked. "Why must you provoke him? Sammy, when your mother discovers you've been in the stocks all day today _again_, she'll whip your ass—"

"I know that!" she snapped. "Quit lecturing me!"

I loosened my grip on her arm and with a hurt look in my eyes, I turned away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. It's just, I hate seeing you in the stocks. I hate it when Reverend punishes you. I hate it when after you go home, the next day you can barely walk because of the whipping you got."

"Oh, Casey," she scolded. "You care too much. I'm sorry for snapping at you, I'm tired and hungry and I just want to go home and sleep, but Lana would never let me, especially since I have to make up all the chores I missed today."

I grabbed her pinky and tugged her towards my home. "Come sleep over with me then. You can return and face your mother's wrath in the morning when you're better rested."

She hesitated slightly and said, "I don't want to give the reverend an excuse to call me a fornicator. You aren't courting me, Casey."

I opted for picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder, carrying her to my log cabin before anyone could see. "No one will find out. I promise." She didn't have the strength to argue anymore and I was glad. She needed her rest; she might need energy one day to be able to outrun an angry mob.

"Oh-kay," she mumbled, already drifting off to sleep in my arms. I might not even let her go home in the morning. I'll just keep her all to myself in my lonely home.

I made sure to barricade the door behind me and went up to lay my sunshine down onto my bed where she stirred slightly. "Casey?" she murmured. "Stay. I wanna complain to you."

Chuckling softly, I sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hair softly. "Tell me all about it, sunshine."

"I'm surprised you can get away with calling me that." She began to mimic the reverend. "'God is supposed to be the sunshine in our lives.'"

I snickered softly and replied, "I'm sure God wouldn't mind, especially since you're the light in my life."

She was quiet for a moment and I could tell she was blushing. After a few seconds, she held her arms open for me to give her a hug, which I promptly did. I mean, who the hell would refuse? She nuzzled my neck happily and I buried my face in her hair.

These were the moments I enjoyed the most.

Our private little moments where she would show actual affection towards me.

I sighed and kissed the top of her head gently. Sammy pulled my hat from my head and tossed it in the corner before gripping my shirt tightly. "I don't mean to be pushy, but have you asked your parents about—"

"Courting you? Yes. My step-mother was the first to give permission. It took my father a bit more time to agree after the nasty split between him and your mother while they were courting, but eventually he wished me all the best."

She looked up hopefully and asked, "And?"

I hesitated before telling her, "Your mother won't let me court you."

She replied bitterly, "Of course." She hugged me tighter to comfort herself and she spat, "Casey? I hate this place. I hate this lifestyle. I hate it so much."

"I know, sunshine. I'm sorry."

"I'm a stupid sinner in their eyes. Always. You know I don't mean it, right Casey? I still love God and whatnot, but this is just too much."

"Shhh," I soothed. "You make mistakes, Sammy. We all do. It's just that some of us are less willing to admit that. Most of them have this superiority complex, but it'll be okay. I promise."

She pulled me down so that I was lying next to her on the bed, she was curled up in a ball and pressing her back to my front. "Case? What was it you were telling me earlier when the reverend came? About his daughter and his niece?"

"I heard they sometimes go to see the slave to get their fortunes told."

"Tituba? She tells fortunes?" she asked curiously.

"I suppose so. Don't you dare think about getting involved Sammy. This is going to blow up in everyone's faces soon. It'll be bad, okay? It's going to be really bad and I don't want you in the middle of it, especially with Reverend Parris about ready to hang you so he doesn't ever have to deal with you again.'

She gave me a playful smirk. "Or maybe you think she's a witch. Are you scared of her?"

I turned a bright pink and was glad she couldn't see my face. "I am not afraid of Tituba. I just think that she's trouble."

"And I'm not?"

"She's a different kind of trouble. And I don't want you mixed up with it. Listen, I know you have this whole 'rebel against authority' thing, but please do me this favor and stay away from Tituba. And the Parris girls. Please?" I whispered.

She turned around in my arms to face me and said, "On one condition."

"And that is?"

"Kiss me."

I grinned at her, her face quickly turning red from what she just aid as if she couldn't believe she actually asked me to kiss her. I leaned forward and pressed my lips against her cheek softly, seeing as we had ever actually done anything really intense.

She shook her head, saying, "No. Not like that."

My confidence was a bit shattered after that, but then she leaned forward to press her lips against mine and may God forgive me, I wanted more. I wanted so much more. I wanted to run my hands against her bare skin and to love her in ways that would get me the evil eye from everyone if they knew the ways I wanted to please the light of my life.

I kissed her back roughly and she squealed happily, responding eagerly. Sammy pressed her lips against mine harder and pushed her tongue out to lick at my bottom lip. At one point, she ripped her lips away from mine so that she could breathe and I whined softly. "You're such a fucking vixen," I breathed out.

"I know," she said smugly.

I laid there on my back, grinning widely. "That was intense. You're very bad."

"And I'm very sleepy," she hinted.

I held her tightly and kissed her head. "Sweet dreams then, Sammy."

I truly wish she had sweet dreams, because mine were plagued with evil .

_It was the town, but it was night._

_It was always night._

_The moon was blood red, not illuminating anything._

_The only light was coming from a distance._

_They were torches, held by many of the townspeople._

_They were heading towards the cabin of someone._

_It wasn't Sammy though._

_I would know if they were coming for Sammy._

_It was someone else._

_It had to be someone else._

_I didn't know who._

_I didn't know why._

_I just knew that Reverend Parris looked determined._

_He opened his mouth to yell, "Repent!"_

I woke up drenched in my own sweat, alone in my bed. Sammy must've already gone home to face her mother's wrath.

I managed to drag myself out of bed and out the door, intending to go visit Sammy. It seemed that everyone I passed on the usually much more crowded dirt roads were heading in the opposite direction. What could possibly be so interesting that everyone was going?

Did Sammy get put into the stocks again?

That idea was proven wrong when I found Sammy waiting in front of her door with wide eyes. "Ann Putnam Jr. just accused three woman of being witches!"

"What?" I asked, astounded. "Little Ann Putnam? She's only twelve! You babysat her just the other week! What would she know about witches?"

The words pushed themselves out of Sammy's mouth. "Betty Parris and Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Hubbard and Ann were apparently being tortured by a witch! That's what they said anyway, but should they really be believed? They were having fits of rage and screaming and throwing things and making gurgling noises and crawling and making weird positions and—"

I cut her off, "Were they having sex?"

She elbowed me and laughed. "They're kids, Case. Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne were accused of being witches."

"Well, that isn't hard to believe," I muttered bitterly. "But you said three women were accused. Who was the third?"

"Erm…Tituba."

My eyes widened and I grabbed Sammy by her wrist and pulled her inside her home. "You stayed away from her, right?"

She nodded vigorously and I sighed in relief. "What's going to happen to them?"

"I'm not sure. I think the reverend is going to try to get them to admit they're witches and make them repent."

I froze, horrified. "And if they don't?"

"They'll be hanged."

_And so began the period of time that will live on in infamy. _

_The Salem Witch Trials._

**A/N: I seriously considered not putting this up, because I'm scared that someone will chew me out for writing this and say I like making religious people look evil because that's not at all what I'm doing. I just find the Salem Witch Trials really interesting and I hope you do too. I really really love the Salem Witch Trials.**

**I love history, okay, there's a reason I'm trapped in AP History. **

**I swear, this was supposed to be up sooner, but I kept procrastinating, I'm so sorrrrrry.**

**I blame tumblr. The most adorable people ever are on tumblr okay? **

**By the way guys, I am obligated to tell you that you can stream 90's Nickelodeon episodes on . If you get a free account, they'll email you when your favorite episodes are gonna air and I swear it's the best, that's where I've been forever and I'm just in love.**


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